Being inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is one of the biggest honors a musician could possibly receive. Now, a new crop of musical legends could potentially find a spot in the hall, as the Hall Of Fame announced its class of 2020 nominees, and it includes some big first-time nominees.
The 2020 nomination lineup features nine first-time nominees: Notorious B.I.G., Whitney Houston, Soundgarden, Pat Benatar, Dave Matthews Band, The Doobie Brothers, Motörhead, T. Rex, and Thin Lizzy. Meanwhile, the returning nominees are Depeche Mode (who were previously nominated twice), Judas Priest (nominated for the class of 2018), Kraftwerk (five previous nominations), MC5 (four previous nominations), Nine Inch Nails (two previous nominations), Rufus featuring Chaka Khan (three previous nominations), and Todd Rundgren (2019).
Introducing your #RockHall2020 Nominees 🎉
Your voice, your vote: Let us know who you think deserves to be a #RockHall2020 Inductee. Join our @KlipschAudio Fan Vote and vote now on @Google: https://t.co/KyAG5Rn12K pic.twitter.com/muYcwl6vIS
— Rock Hall (@rockhall) October 15, 2019
Biggie Smalls is the only rapper in this year’s nomination class. As Billboard notes, six of this year’s nominees have never won a Grammy Award (Depeche Mode, MC5, Notorious B.I.G., Todd Rundgren, T. Rex, and Thin Lizzy). Furthermore, only Whitney Houston, Notorious B.I.G. and the Doobie Brothers have topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and Motörhead never appeared on the chart at all.
Fans have a say in who gets in: Voting is open now on the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame website, and the five artists who receive the most fan votes will comprise a fans’ ballot, which will be counted among the other voter ballots to determine the 2020 inductees, which are set to be announced in January 2020.